</s>APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 -Confidential- FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE SPECIAL REPORT on Communist Propaganda COMMUNIST REACTION TO THE ASSASSINA TION OF SENATOR ROBERT KENNEDY Confidential 13 June 1968 CD. 285

Summary  
This declassified Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Special Report from June 13, 1968, details the responses of various communist regimes and media outlets to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. The report highlights how Soviet Union (USSR), East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania, North Vietnam (Hanoi), Cuba, and China (Peking) framed the event as a reflection of U.S. societal decay, imperialism, or political conspiracy. Soviet media emphasized America’s "sick" capitalist society driven by violence and corruption, linking RFK’s death to U.S. policies in Vietnam and broader ideological struggles. East Germany condemned U.S. "reactionary" forces, while Czechoslovakia and Romania expressed sympathy but echoed Moscow’s themes. North Vietnam (Hanoi) portrayed the assassination as a political act against U.S. opponents, criticizing Johnson’s Vietnam policies. Cuba and Peking focused on U.S. imperialism, with Peking emphasizing its deepening crisis. The report also notes Soviet media’s sensitivity to the suspect’s Arab immigrant background, attempting to shift blame from American society.  

Key People  
- Robert F. Kennedy (assassinated)  
- President Lyndon B. Johnson (U.S. leader)  
- Hubert Humphrey (Vice President)  
- Sirhan Sirhan (suspect, Palestinian Arab)  
- Mikhail Strogovich (Soviet lawyer)  
- Igor Orlov (TASS commentator)  
- Matveyev (Soviet political commentator)  
- Kondrashev (Soviet journalist)  

Key Locations  
- Los Angeles (assassination site)  
- Moscow (Soviet Union)  
- Prague (Czechoslovakia)  
- Bucharest (Romania)  
- Pyongyang (North Korea)  
- Hanoi (North Vietnam)  
- Havana (Cuba)  
- Jerusalem (mentioned in context of suspect’s background)  

Key Events  
- Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles.  
- Soviet media’s focus on U.S. "sick" society and its violent tendencies.  
- East Germany’s condemnation of U.S. "reactionary" forces and anti-democratic objectives.  
- North Vietnam (Hanoi) framing the assassination as a political act against U.S. policies in Vietnam.  
- Cuban emphasis on conspiracy theories, including CIA or White House involvement.  
- Soviet media’s sensitivity to the suspect’s Arab immigrant background, attempting to shift blame from American society.  

Key Organizations  
- Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS)  
- Soviet Union (USSR)  
- East Germany (German Democratic Republic)  
- Czechoslovakia  
- Romania  
- Poland  
- Hungary  
- Bulgaria  
- Albania  
- North Vietnam (Hanoi)  
- Cuba (Liberation Radio)  
- China (Peking, People’s Republic of China)  
- United States government (including President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey)

RFK Declassified Files

02432642_communist_reaction_to_the_assassination_of_senator_robert_kennedy.pdf

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